CATHERINE Bertini, the United Nations secretary-general’s special envoy, has arrived in Nairobi for an updated assessment of the drought now threatening 14 million people in the greater Horn of Africa region. Bertini, executive director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), is visiting Kenya and Ethiopia, the two worst-affected countries in the region. Large areas of Kenya and Ethiopia have had little rain for the past three years, creating serious food shortages. The WFP is already spearheading the import of relief food supplies to the region, but experts say more assistance is needed to counter famine. – Reuters